You Can't Predict What You Don't Know is Coming
by Ello-Love
Summary: It begins with the simple life of an eleven year old girl. Growing up is inevitable, as are whatever feelings should develop along the way. What began as a simple friendship turns into something nobody could have foreseen. Dark times are on the way.
1. Chapter 1

Hey all! This is the first story I decided to post here. I've been writing for a while now, and decided that it was time to show the world some of my fiction! It begins in 1989, when my OC Bethany, her best friend Angelina, and of course the Weasley twins are just starting their first year at Hogwarts. This is a story about a friendship that develops into a budding romance with many twists and turns along the way. I hope you all enjoy it! I will remain as true to the books as possible.

~I own my plot line and OC, everything else belongs to the wonderful JK Rowling.~

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><p><em>Bethany Thorne, age eleven, didn't think much of the fact that she could make flowers blossom in her palm, or that she was able to open her curtains simply by looking at them. Mostly because of the fact that her best and only friend, Angelina Johnson, possessed the same strange abilities she did. Nearly all of her afternoons were spent with her best friend frolicking about the local playground, or skipping rocks in the nearby lake. Spending so much time with one person that was so similar gave her hope to believe she wasn't quite as odd as her peers, and herself, thought she was.<em>

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><p>"You're a freak Bethany Thorne! I hope you and Angelina never come back here!" A boy named Porter shouted at Angelina and I.<p>

Tears welled up in my honey colored eyes. I hated being called a freak, and above all, I hated that everyone else wasn't a freak. That's what I loved so much about Angelina. We got each other more than anybody could understand.

I looked at my best friend who had a look of determination on her face, the face I knew came before she made something mysterious happen.

"Don't, Ang. Can we please just go?" I begged. It was the end of the day on last day of school before summer break. The last thing I wanted was to be around these kids anymore. And anything Angelina was about to do could really get us in trouble.

"Yeah." Angelina replied, reluctantly pulling her eyes away from Porter, who now looked more intimidated than mean.

We turned our backs on everyone and started to walk home.

"You're not a freak, Beth." Angelina said to me; trying to make me feel better, "They're just not as special as you and me."

"I guess so." I replied.

We walked in silence for a few moments. I began twirling one of my long, blonde curls absentmindedly before asking, "Is your mum like us, too? I've seen her do things that we can't do, things that are almost magical."

"She says that everybody is special, but you and me have her special talent. She says that soon enough we won't have to deal with the mean kids at school anymore." Angelina said, watching her feet as she walked.

"I hope so. I can't take anymore of Porter." I said, pronouncing the P so that I spit when I said it.

"Precisely." She said, doing the same.

I looked at her and giggled, bumping my shoulder into her's. She bumped my shoulder in return and so our bumping war continued until we were laughing so hard it hurt.

When we turned the corner onto our street, we saw both of our parents standing in between our neighboring houses having what looked like a pretty serious conversation.

Angelina gave me a questioning look as we walked up to our parents.

"Hello, girls!" My mum said to us as we joined their little circle, "How did your last day of school go?"

"They called me a freak." I said blankly. "I don't want to go back ever."

My mum gave my dad a look that I couldn't quite comprehend before saying, "Well, we have good news for you. Both of you."

I looked at Angelina excitedly, wondering what the good news could be. Maybe we're going to travel this summer with their family! We used to travel with them all the time, but we haven't gone anywhere exciting recently. What fun it would be to stay in the same room with Angelina for a week straight! Now that we are eleven I'm sure mum will let us stay up until midnight!

Angelina looked at me excitedly and bounced up and down a little bit.

"Tell us, tell us!" I shouted.

"Well..." Ang's dad said to us, winking at my parents, "Are you sure they're ready to hear?"

"We are, dad!" Angelina exclaimed.

"Just please tell us!" I added.

"I suppose they are ready." My dad said, smiling. "Girls, you don't have to go back to that school anymore."

"What?" I gasped in shock.

"Where will we go?" Angelina asked, confused.

My mum handed me a letter as Angelina's parents handed her a letter that looked identical.

I flipped over the letter and read out loud, "Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."

I looked at Angelina with wide eyes, and tore open the letter. Inside were two letters folded around each other. I pulled out the two letters and began to read the first out loud.

"Dear Bethany, we are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment. Term begins on September 1. We await your owl by no later than July 31. Yours Sincerely, Albus Dumbledore."

I rapidly pulled out the second piece of paper listing all the items I would need at this strange school.

My head was spinning.

"Oh.. oh my." I sat down in the grass and began re-reading my letter.

Witchcraft and Wizardry... but that could only mean.. am I a witch? Is that what Angelina's parents meant by 'special?' And... and my talents... it's magic. I can do magic. And that must mean Angelina is a witch, too! But my parents can't do magic... Angelina said her mum can but her dad can't. So Angelina's mum must be a witch as well! I began to feel lightheaded when I heard someone saying my name.

"Bethany, dear? Are you okay?" My mum crouched down in the grass beside me and put her hand on my shoulder. "Darling, this is a wonderful thing!"

I looked up at Angelina and saw that she had the same puzzled expression on her face.

"Ang?" I said softly.

"I always had a feeling..." She said, her eyes beginning to gleam in excitement.

"We're witches!" I said, standing up.

"I know! This means we never have to back to that school! We can learn to do more special things at this new school! This is the best news ever!" She said grabbing my shoulders and bouncing up and down.

Her excitement was contagious and soon enough we were both hugging and jumping around like fools.

"Do you girls want to talk about this? It's huge, life-changing news!" My dad said, looking at us.

"I do have a question." I said, looking up at my parents. "How is it that I can be a witch, but you are not?"

"Well darling, your father's sister, Aunt Winnie, is a witch." My mum explained.

"She is?" I asked, astonished.

"She is. When we found out we were having you we knew there was the chance you could be one, too. When you were only one year old, you answered our question. You've always been special, my dear. And this school will be wonderful for both you and Angelina. I am so happy for you." My mom said, tears starting to pool in her eyes. I gave her and my dad a huge hug before turning to Angelina.

"This is the best day of my life!" I said with a huge smile on my face.

"Me too!" She replied.

She linked her arm through mine and we ran into her house and up to her room to talk about everything. If one thing was for sure, I was so glad to have her as my best friend.


	2. Chapter 2

_Hey all! I'm pretty excited about where this story is going to go. Their first few years at Hogwarts will go relatively fast, mostly because I can't wait to get them all into their older years! And because soon enough I will be able to bring Harry, Ron,and Hermione into the picture. Writing from the head of eleven year old's has proven to be rather difficult. But still, I manage to put in as much detail as I can. As of now, I am sticking to the books for the most part, but once the group matures I will begin giving more detail from the depths of my imagination. :P_

_Enjoy, and I love receiving feedback!_

_~I own my OC and Plot-line. Everything else- JK Rowling!~_

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><p>"No way I am doing that!" I exclaimed, tightening the grip on my trolley.<p>

"Are you sure that's right, mum?" Angelina asked her mom hesitantly glancing at the brick wall.

"Certainly! It's what I had to do back in my school years." She said, a slight smile on her lips.

"It just doesn't seem..."

"It's weird." Angelina finished my thought for me.

"Children, this is not the weirdest thing you will see today, I guarantee you that." Her mum said, chuckling.

Angelina and I looked at each other questioningly. I raised one eyebrow and she shrugged.

"Bethany, listen to Mrs. Johnson. She knows better than us." My mum said.

"Aren't you scared, too?" I asked.

Mum didn't reply.

"Come, come. Quickly now!" We heard a woman shouting behind us. I turned around to see a huge family of all redheads bustling towards us, some with trolleys like ours. The mother, a short, stout woman with a kind face, but a firm voice was taking a headcount on her children.

"Percy, you first!" The woman instructed.

A tall, lanky boy with curly red hair ran through the brick wall, trolley and all. I gasped and looked around. Surely non-witches and wizards saw! I looked back at the brick wall. What in the world? Glancing at Angelina I see that she has the same expression that I do.

"If you're wondering, muggles can't see what's happening." A voice came from behind me, making me jump.

I turned around to see two identical redheads grinning at me.

"Fred." The one on the left said. "And that's my brother George."

"Hi." I said in a confused voice. "What's a muggle...?"

"BOYS!" The mother of the family shouted. "Your turn!"

"Coming." They said in unison. They ran around me and one at a time ran through the brick wall. The rest of the family followed, leaving me, Angelina, and our families. Seeing that those people could run through the wall and not crash into it eased my nerves a little bit, but not much.

"This is just so weird." Angelina said, still fascinated by the fact that we would soon be running into a brick wall. "Ready?"

"Ready as I'll ever be!" I said.

We closed our eyes and aimed ourselves towards the wall.

"One..." I said.

"Two..." Angelina added.

"Three!" We said and made a run for it.

No more than a second later I opened my eyes and nearly fell over. In front of me was the most fantastic train I've ever seen in my life! The Hogwarts Express. A wave of excitement rushed through me, I could hardly stand it. I turned around just as our parents came through behind us. My parents, puzzled, seeing as this was their first magical occurrence, nearly toppled over each other.

"Still just as magnificent as ever." Angelina's mum said, looking at the train with a look of nostalgia in her eyes.

I ran to my parents to hug them good-bye.

"Please write to us!" My mum said, pulling me against her.

"You'll do wonderfully here, Bethany. I don't doubt you." My father said with a kind smile. "You sure you have everything you need"

"I think so." I replied, uncertain of that fact myself. It all seemed like so much! The list said that each student is permitted either an owl, a cat, or a toad. I begged my parents for an owl, but they said maybe next year. (I was still upset about that.)

"Do be careful, love." Mum said, kissing the top of my head.

"I will! Don't worry." I said, my stomach beginning to form butterflies. "I love you both." I said, hugging them again.

"We love you, too." Dad said.

Once Angelina and I had said our final good-byes, our parents let us go to find seats on the train. I looked back at my teary-eyed mum and smiled. We tried pushing our way through the crowds with little success. Everybody was so much bigger than us, I felt like I would get trampled any second.

"You kids, behave!" I heard the red-head woman with the big family shout over everyone.

"We will." The twin boys replied.

I saw one wink at the other.

"George, don't forget your scarf!" The mother held up a scarf to one of the boys.

"Mum, that's not George, I'm George!" The other twin said.

"Oh, I'm sorry boys, here, George." She sighed, handing over the scarf.

"Just kidding, I'm Fred!"

"You boys!" She said angrily and put her hands on her hips. "BEHAVE. The train is about to leave, you best be going to find seats! Be safe, I love you both."

She gave them both kisses on the cheek much to their embarrassment.

"Love you, too." They said, and headed towards the train.

I laughed at the scene that just took place in front of me, and continued struggling my way through the crowd.

"Take my hand so I don't lose you." Angelina said, holding out her hand.

I took it and we weaved our way through all the people saying good-byes until we finally got to the train.

"Finally, an empty compartment." I said, sliding open the door of what seemed like the last empty place to sit.

No more than two minutes after we got situated, the door to our compartment opened.

"Can we sit with you guys?" I heard a male voice ask.

I looked up and saw the two red-head twins looking at us expectantly.

"Sure." Angelina and I said, making room for them.

"I'm Fred." "I'm George." The boys said at the exact same time, making us snicker.

"Yeah, I think I met you guys outside platform 9 and ¾." I said.

"Yes, ma'am." One of them said. "And your name would be..?"

"Bethany Thorne, and this is my best friend Angelina Johnson." I said.

"Pleasure." They said.

"This your first year, too?" Angelina asked.

"Yep." Said George (I think it was George...)

"Our family has a history here. Our brothers Percy and Charlie go here, too. Our other brother Bill finished last year."

"You have a huge family! I wish I had siblings." I mentioned.

"Oh, that's not all," Fred added.

"We've got a younger brother and sister, too."

"Wow," Angelina said.

"Earlier you said something about moogles... what exactly is a moogle?" I questioned.

"Ah, muggle, you mean." Fred corrected me. "A muggle is a non magic folk. Your every day typical human being."

"I see. So my parents would be muggles?" I asked.

"If they can't do magic, then yes they would be." The other twin said.

"That's a funny word!" Angelina chimed in. "And I was wondering... could you two tell me which one of you is which again?"

We all chuckled.

The journey to Hogwarts was a wonderful one at that. The view was gorgeous, and the anticipation grew as we got closer. our new friends told us all about the many traditions of Hogwarts including the four houses. My nervousness grew at that bit of information. I hoped that Angelina and I would be in the same house! If we weren't, I don't know what I'd do.


	3. Chapter 3

_Thanks for checking out my story! I am having so much fun writing this. Let me know what you think so far. Enjoy!_

_~JS~_

_-I own my OC and plot line. Everything else- JK Rowling!-_

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><p>"Angelina, look!" I yelled in excitement with my face pressed against the window of the Hogwarts express.<p>

In front of me was the largest, most grand castle I'd ever seen. Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry. So much better than I could have ever imagined. For the first time, I really felt like I was meant to be a part of something. This is where I wanted to be, no doubt about it.

"Wicked." Said the twins together.

The four of us crammed ourselves against the window, dumbfounded by the gorgeous castle in front of us.

"We're here! I can't believe we're here!" Angelina cried. We hugged each other out of excitement, giving the twins the biggest of smiles.

"I bet we'll be in Gryffindor." Angelina stated. "That's where my mom was sorted."

"We know we'll be in Gryffindor." Fred said confidently.

"Everybody in our family is in Gryffindor." George stated.

"I... I hope I will be." I said, the butterflies returning to my stomach.

The crowd of students awaiting to be transported to the castle bustled around anxiously, each one eager to get settled in.

"Firs' years! Firs' years this way!" A gruff voice could be heard saying over all the noise.

"That has got to be the largest man I have ever seen!" Angelina said from in front of me.

"What? Where? OH!" I said, peering around her. Angelina had to be at least a good 6 inches taller than me, thus blocking me from viewing him. "That IS the biggest man I've ever seen! He's calling first years, too. Fred! George! This way!"

"That's Hagrid." George said.

"He's the gamekeeper here, our brothers told us all about him." Fred boasted.

We walked over to where the other first years were gathered. In front of us we could see boats bobbing in a big black lake surrounding one side of the castle. Each boat had a little lantern in front of it, the light reflecting off the dark, mysterious water.

"All righ', three to a boat!" Hagrid shouted.

Angelina and I climbed into a boat with a friendly looking dark haired girl, as the twins climbed into the boat next to us.

"Hello! I'm Alicia Spinnet." The dark haired girl said.

"Angelina Johnson, and this is my friend Bethany Thorne." Angelina introduced us.

"Nice to meet you! I'm waiting for my friend Lee, but I seem to have lost him in the crowd. No, wait, I see him! LEE!" She shouted to a boy with a puzzled look on his face.

"Oh, thank goodness!" Lee said walking into our view. "I was starting to think I'd have to share a boat with that giant man. I couldn't find any empty seats! Mind if I join your boat?" He asked the twins in the boat beside us.

"Not at all." The twins replied, taking an instant liking to Lee.

"This is my friend Lee Jordan." Alicia informed us.

"I..." Lee began, but was interrupted by a jolt of the boats beginning to move.

"They're moving on their own!" I announced.

"Magical." George said from beside us and winked, sending me into a fit of embarrassment.

The journey across the lake was an exciting one at that. The closer we got to the castle, the more the intensity grew. Suspense was thick in the air, as all the first years craned their necks to get a better view and whispered amongst themselves.

After what seemed like a very long time the boats finally made it to the castle and we hopped off the boats one by one as instructed to do by Hagrid.

"Follow me!" He announced in a gruff, yet friendly voice.

We followed Hagrid in an enthusiastic manner as he led us to the big doors of the castle.

"Welcome first years to Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry!" an older, stern looking female witch announced upon our entrance to the castle.

"I am professor McGonagall, leader of the Gryffindor house. The sorting ceremony will begin momentarily, sorting each of you into your respected house. The houses are; Gryffindor, house of the noble and the brave at heart. Hufflepuff, house of the hard-working and loyal. Ravenclaw, house of the clever and the wise. And Slytherin, house of the cunning and the ambitious. Each house is just as respectable as the next, and I am sure you will each take a liking to whichever house your fate shall bring."

"Slytherin is evil." Fred whispered to Lee, Angelina, and I.

"How do you know that? She only said they were cunning, not evil." I stated.

"Everybody knows it, it's not as if she can just announce, SLYTHERIN, HOUSE OF THE GITS." George claimed.

My jaw dropped at his language, as Lee and Angelina suppressed their laughter.

"It's true. My mum and dad said the darkest wizards are the ones who get sorted into Slytherin." Alicia chimed in.

"Plus, Slytherin just sounds dark, does it not? Just the name is enough to give me chills." Angelina added.

"I'm telling you... evil!" Fred said slightly too loud.

Suddenly I realized that Professor McGonagall was looking directly at us frowning.

"I would appreciate if you could refrain from making a scene." She said firmly.

Several students around us laughed in our expense.

"Erm, sorry." Fred muttered, embarrassed.

"I've heard about your family." A boy said, turning to the twins. "The name's Miles. Miles Bletchley. My parents say your pa is into muggles."

"That's right." George retorted.

"To each their own, I suppose." Miles sneered.

I wrinkled my eyebrows at him, wondering what his problem was.

"Evil!" Fred whispered into my ear, making me giggle.

"I've got half a mind to whack him on the head." George said disapprovingly, pretending to hit Miles on the head while his back was turned.

I wriggled my way over to Miles and tapped his opposite shoulder. We watched him turn around expectantly and begin scratching his head when no one was there.

Angelina and Alicia giggled into their hands, and Lee let out a laugh quite similar to a dog bark.

"Nice." The twins said approvingly and slapped me on the back.

"I hope I'm not interrupting anything."

Our heads snapped up to see Professor McGonagall glaring at us again.

"I hope this is the last time I have to warn you not to speak out of turn, or there will be consequences."

"Sorry." We mumbled.

"Now then, I will lead you all into the Great Hall where the sorting ceremony will begin. Single file, please!"

We followed McGonagall up a flight of stairs and into the Great Hall. The Great Hall was certainly called great for a reason. The ceiling was most definitely the most intriguing aspect of the room. It looked as though there was no ceiling at all, but instead a night sky filled with stars and candles floating just below them. Four long tables took up much of the room, with students filling each table. We made our way down the center of the hall towards the very front, where a single stool sat with an old, wrinkly had on top of it. Behind the stool was another long table where the professors were sitting.

Once all of us had entered the Great Hall, a great old wizard stood up beaming, and put his arms out in a generous manner

"Welcome newcomers, to Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry! And to our returning students, welcome back! As most of you know, I am headmaster Albus Dumbledore. And to those of you who didn't... now you know." He said with a merry twinkle in his eye. "There is a time for speech making, but this is a time for celebrating a new generation of witches and wizards. So without further ado, let the sorting ceremony begin!"

"I will now read your names in alphabetical order. When you hear your name, please step forward to be sorted. Once sorted, you may go sit at the table belonging to your house."

There was an awkward shift as the hall became silent. I glanced at Angelina nervously. She grabbed my hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze.

"Stacy Abati." McGonagall broke the silence by calling the first name on the list.

A timid girl with flaming red hair walked up the the stool and sat down. The hat was placed upon her head and no more than a few seconds later shouted, "HUFFLEPUFF!"

The Hufflepuff table erupted into applause as they welcomed their new member.

"Brock Atkins."

A scrawny boy walked up to the stool, stumbling slightly over the step.

"RAVENCLAW!" The hat screamed, making the boy jump.

Once again, applause and cheers filled the Great Hall.

"Miles Bletchley."

Miles walked up to the stool with a conceited air about him, and sat down.

"SLYTHERIN!" The hat announced nearly straight away.

The Slytherin table began pounding their fists on the table while hooting and hollering.

"Surprise surprise." Fred leaned over and whispered.

The process continued as we waited for each student to become sorted.

"RAVENCLAW!"

"GRYFFINDOR!"

"SLYTHERIN!"

"RAVENCLAW!"

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

The whole procedure was beginning to feel a bit monotonous, until finally a familiar name was called.

"Angelina Johnson."

Angelina looked at me with wide eyes and I gave her hand a final squeeze.

She walked up to the stool and sat down slowly. She winced as the hat was placed on her head, and after what seemed like infinity it finally shouted, "GRYFFINDOR!"

Her face broke into a huge smile as she hopped off the stool and ran to the Gryffindor table.

"Lee Jordan."

"GRYFFINDOR!"

Lee smiled at us, and the twins gave him a thumbs up.

And so the ceremony continued on. The closer they got to my name, the more I felt like I was going to be sick. I felt as though my stomach was on fire, and my forehead broke into a sweat. When Professor McGonagall reached the last names beginning with T, I starting becoming very hot. My hands felt clammy, and I swore my eyesight went a little fuzzy.

"Bethany Thorne."

My brain went numb, and I felt myself start walking towards the stool. As I sat down, I felt the hat being placed upon my head.

"Hmm. I see..." A voice inside my head muttered. "Loyal and true, yet smart and ambitious. You are a girl who is not afraid to stand up for herself. Slytherin would suit you well, but with brains like that you would also thrive in Ravenclaw. Although there is a certain courageous air about you that I cannot ignore... it better be... GRYFFINDOR!"

At once a flood of relief washed over me and I smiled at my friends. A bit wobbly, I walked over to the cheering Gryffindor table, and took a seat next to Angelina and Lee. Angelina hugged me and whispered,

"I knew we'd be together!"

"Fred Weasley."

Fred hopped up, and the second the hat touched his head it shouted, "GRYFFINDOR!"

He winked at his brother and took a seat across from me.

"George Weasley."

"GRYFFINDOR!"

"WOOHOO!" Shouted Fred and stood up clapping.

George walked over to Fred and sat next to him, giving him a high five.

As the sorting ceremony came to an end, Dumbledore stood up once again to say a few words.

"Congratulations to all of our first years. I expect everyone to have a safe and enjoyable year at Hogwarts. Now I am sure you are all as anticipant of the feast as I am, but before we eat, let us sing the song of Hogwarts! Everybody pick your favorite tune, and go!"

I looked down at the table where a sheet of paper was in front of me with the words to the Hogwart's school song on it and I began to sing the song to the tune of my favorite song by the Weird Sisters.

'Hogwarts, Hogwarts, hoggy warty Hogwarts,  
>Teach us something please,<br>Whether we be old and bald,  
>Or young with scabby knees,<br>Our heads could do with filling,  
>With some interesting stuff,<br>For now they're bare and full of air,  
>Dead flies and bits of fluff,<br>So teach us things worth knowing,  
>Bring back what we've forgot,<br>Just do your best, we'll do the rest,  
>And learn until our brains all rot.'<p>

The twins had chosen an extremely slow funeral march to sing to. By the time everybody had finished, they had half the song left to sing. Dumbledore stood at the front of the Hall smiling, directing them until they finished.

I couldn't contain my laughter and I laughed until tears leaked out the corners of my eyes. Angelina began choking from laughter, which made me laugh even harder as I pounded on her back.

"Thank you everybody. There is no greater magic than music! Now as we are all very hungry, let us eat!" Dumbledore finished and sat down in the center of the Professor's table.

Suddenly the tables became filled with all the food you could imagine. My tongue started watering at all the delicious looking food in front of me.

"This is so good." Fred said with his mouth full of food.

"Here, here!" George said, and the twins gave a toast using chicken drumsticks.

I laughed and took a bite out of my mashed potatoes.

That night after we unpacked and got settled in, Angelina, Alicia, and I met up with the boys in the common room. The common room had quite a homey feeling to it. On one half of the room was a lovely sitting area with big, squashy couches and armchairs, a coffee table, and a fireplace built into the wall. Two staircases were just behind it leading to the dormitories. Gryffindor house colors dawned the room, filling everyone who stepped through with house pride.

Angelina, me, and all of my new friends talked and joked until we were so tired everything seemed to be funny. Once we realized that nearly everyone else had already gone to bed, we decided we should better go as well.

"Good night, M'ladies!" Fred pretended to bow to us as we walked towards the girls' dorms.

"May you have pleasant dreams of sugar and spice." George said, doing the same.

We burst into giggles and (ungracefully) curtsied at the boys before running up the stairs.

That night I fell asleep almost immediately. It had been quite a long day, and I had already come to realize that being around Fred and George Weasley you will never have a dull moment.


	4. Chapter 4

_Heyo everyone! I haven't much to say, other than I hope you enjoy this chapter! I had a lot of fun writing it. Let me know what you think of it!_

_-JS-_

_~I own what is obviously mine. Everything else- JK Rowling.~_

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><p>My first year at Hogwarts was, so far, the best year of my life. I had my group of good friends, and we were constantly laughing. It did not take long before Fred and George became known as the pranksters. I had my fair share of pranks pulled on me, as did Angelina, Alicia, and Lee. We tried to get revenge on the twins several times, but those boys knew their pranks. Not once did they fall for it. However, this was just all in good fun.<p>

As the year continued and the air started to become cold and brisk, our friendships just grew stronger. The three boys and us three girls were, for the most part, inseparable. It was a rare occurrence seeing half of us without the other half. Being as it was, we found ourselves split up in detention every now and then. Our particular favorite professor to bother was Professor Snape, the potions teacher. It's not that we strongly disliked him, it's that he strongly dislikes us. Which made it all the more fun.

The twins had a knack for finding little secrets about the castle, which made it all the more easy for them to cause mischief. Not as though I had anything to complain about, they made my life much more entertaining.

Before we knew it, snow began to fall on the ground, and jingling bells could be heard on carriages. Christmas day was only one week away.

"Detention." Professor Snape said, spinning around to look at us. "Fred, George, and Bethany in Filch's office. Lee, Angelina, and Alicia in mine. And also, five points from Gryffindor. Each!"

We groaned and slouched in our seats. Other Gryffindors glared at us for having so many points deducted.

"We thought he would enjoy having a toilet instead of a desk chair." George commented.

"You turned his desk chair into a toilet?" Alicia asked incredulously.

"Makes life easier for him, you know?" Fred said smiling.

"How do you even know how to do that sort of transfiguration?" I asked. "McGonagall won't be teaching us more advanced transfiguration's like that until next year."

"We'll never spill." They said in unison, grinning at us.

"Yeah, well thanks for getting us all in trouble." Angelina spewed.

The rest of the day continued on slowly. Having potions as the first class of the day made the rest of the classes much more bearable. Care of Magical Creatures was my favorite class. I love everything about animals, and something just strikes my interest when it comes to caring for them.

As we were eating dinner that evening it began to snow.

"Oh, look!" A girl from the Hufflepuff table exclaimed, pointing to the ceiling.

White, fluffy snowflakes started falling from the ceiling of the great hall. The snow didn't fall to the ground of course, the ceiling gave the illusion that it stopped right above our heads.

"Snow!" I said happily. "I love snow."

Angelina sighed. "I know you do."

"I hate snow." Lee commented.

"How could you hate snow?" I said dreamily, propping my head on my hand.

Fred snapped in my face. I punched his arm.

"Ouch." He said sarcastically.

"Oi, kiddos! We better get going to our detentions." George said.

"Why are you so eager?" Alicia asked.

"No reason." The twins replied a little too quickly.

"You boys have something up your sleeve, don't you." I said.

Fred lifted up the sleeve of his robe and looked under it.

"Nope, nothing up my sleeve. How about you, George?"

"No, nothing under mine, either."

"That's not what I meant!" I said, amused.

"Well, you better keep an eye on those two, Bethany. I'd rather not get into any more trouble than we are already in. We also have that 5-page essay that we have to write for Professor Flitwick! How I am going to write an essay that long on a few simple charms is beyond me." Alicia said grumpily.

"You haven't started it yet?" I asked. "I started mine the night he assigned it."

"Not my point. You know I put things off... Anyway, keep an eye on those two!"

"Aye-aye!" I said, staring down the boys.

The three of us parted from the others once we'd finished and made our way to Mr. Filch's office for our detention.

When we got to detention Filch instructed us to begin polishing and cleaning the room.

"When I get back, my figurines better be spotless." He spit out in a nasty voice.

"Mark my words, if you use magic I will find out and tell professor Snape. Come on Mrs. Norris."

He gave us a yellow, crooked smile before picking up his cat and slamming the door shut.

I look around the cramped little office. Mostly everything in the office was gray or brown. It was really a dull place to be. I don't see how anyone could tolerate spending most of their days in this drab little room.

After soaking it all in, I turned to the twins and asked: "Now why on earth would you be so excited for detention? I know you're going to do something."

"Not do something." Fred said.

"Nick something." George finished.

My eyes widened.

"You're going to steal something?"

"No, not steal... we're going to borrow it." George commented.

I gave them a questioning look.

"You see, last time we had detention in Filch's office..." George paused. "We found something interesting."

"We don't quite know what it is yet. But that's what we want to find out." Fred added.

Fred began stomping around on the floor, as if looking for something.

"What in Merlin's beard...?" I began to ask, sporting a little bit of lingo that I picked up from the brothers.

Fred suddenly stomped on a hollow floor board. He wiggled his eyebrows at us and then bent down and picked up the floor board, pulling out a key.

"Watch this." George said knowingly.

Fred unlocked Filch's desk drawer. Inside the drawer were little nick-knacks that once belonged to students. Most of the items were magical noisemakers or special silly quills that were against Hogwarts rules. Fred dug around before pulling out a large piece of folded parchment. It was blank.

"Wow. That's interesting." I said sarcastically.

"But you see, oh young one, why would Filch have an empty piece of parchment locked in his desk drawer if it didn't mean anything?" George questioned me.

I stared at him for a moment before announcing, "We're the same age."

"You're missing the point." George claimed.

"We just want to investigate this for a bit. If we don't find anything interesting, we'll return it." Fred noted before putting it in his bag.

"All right. But you have to tell me the second you discover something!" I pleaded, enjoying the feeling of being on the inside scoop.

"We promise." They said.

"Now, we should probably get some of this work done..." I said mischievously.

With a flick of my wand the figurines were clean and the room was dust-free.

"Now. What to do for the next hour?" I asked, looking at the twins.

"Well..." George grinned, "Seeing as all of our work is done, how about a game of 'turn all the pictures in Flich's office upside-down?"

"My thoughts exactly." Fred said.

We ran out of the door once we heard Filch's footsteps coming our way.

"You kids!" He angrily belted after us. "I will get you!"

We burst into laughter and continued running.

"Wait!" I announced as we arrived back to the common room. "Did you remember that parchment?"

"Er..." Fred said looking around for his bag.

"I got it." George assured, holding it up.

"Good. Now, shall we take a look at it?" Fred asked.

The twins unfolded the parchment and placed it on a table. We stared at it for several moments, expecting something to happen. Nothing. We flipped it over, expecting to see something on the back, but again it was blank.

"Maybe it really is just a boring old piece of parchment." I stated.

"Perhaps..." George paused, "I doubt it, though. There must be a reason for filch locking it up."

"It was with the belongings of the students who were up to no good." Fred said.

Just as he said the last part of his sentence, something on the parchment flickered. Some markings could be seen, but just as soon as they appeared, they were gone!

"Did you see that?" I exclaimed.

"I knew this wasn't just some ordinary piece of parchment!" George expressed.

"Let's see if it does it again, shall we?" Fred said.

"All right... Up to no good!" I said excitedly, repeating the words that made the parchment flicker.

It did it again! Markings and writing flickered on the page, and then disappeared.

"I saw the letter M, I think." I noted.

"There has to be something we can do to get it to stay!" George pointed out.

As we sat around the table conversing to each other in hushed voices, people began to look at us, questioningly.

"I think people know we are doing something fishy..." I whispered. "Perhaps we should call it quits?"

"No way!" The twins said together.

"This is just getting exciting!" Fred announced.

"No way we are leaving this now!" George agreed.

I sighed and said, "Well then perhaps you should take it somewhere other than the common room. Just in case you do figure out what it is. We don't want others to know, right?"

"The lady speaks wisely." Fred told George.

"Oh lady, tell me, how can you be so wise?" George said dramatically.

I stared at them raising one eyebrow.

"I am going to retire to my dormitory." I said. I was eager to tell Angelina and Alicia about all the excitement. Perhaps they would have some input.

"'Night Beth!" They shouted after me as I ran up the staircase.

When I arrived to my room, Alicia and Angelina were chatting on the beds.

"Where have you been?" Angelina asked.

"Well, the twins found something intriguing in Filch's office." I began. I told them all about how we came to find the parchment and how it flickered when we said those certain words.

"Leave it to the twins to nick something from Filch!" Angelina said.

"It is interesting, though." Alicia admitted.

Angelina and Alicia told me all about their detention with Snape and how Lee talked to him so much that Snape threatened to put a silencing charm on him. Hearing that made me laugh. Lee did tend to be quite the gabber.

After they finished, I told them all about how the twins and I flipped all the pictures in Filch's office up-side down. Angelina and Alicia burst into laughter at hearing this.

"You didn't!" Angelina giggled.

"Yes we did!" I said proudly.

"It sounds like you guys had a lot of fun! We didn't get to have any fun." Alicia pouted.

"Nobody has fun with 'Snape, the potions master'." I said the last part in Snape's voice, sending us into another fit of giggles.

"I can't believe you used magic to clean his office after he said not to!" Angelina announced.

"I can't believe he thought we wouldn't use magic!" I said, still giggling.

The three of us chatted a bit longer until our eyelids became heavy.

I felt too rowdy to settle down, but finally I began to fall into a restless sleep.


	5. Chapter 5

I am very sorry it has been so long since I last updated :S My old computer decided it's time had come, but I finally got a new laptop! I had to re-write a few chapters that I had lost on the other computer, but all is well! So, enjoy this chapter, and please let me know what you think!

_~Obviously, I do not own JK Rowling's work, only mine.~_

-JS-

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><p>"Bethany! Bethany, we got it!"<p>

The twins came running down the stairs and over to me on the common room couch. From the way they ran around you'd think there was a stampede on the loose.

"What?" I asked, glancing up from the letter I was writing to my parents.

"We got it!"

"We figured it out!" They spurted out.

"The parchment?"

"What else would we be talking about?"

"Well, show me!" I cried, forgetting all about the letter.

"We couldn't have done it without Le-" George started.

"But I'm the one who finally got it!" Fred interrupted.

"Shall I get Alicia and Angelina?" I hopped off the couch, already making my way to our room.

I grabbed the girls' arms without explanation and dragged them down to where Fred and George were gathered with Lee.

The twins placed the parchment on a table and we all huddled around.

"I solemnly wear that I am up to no good." Fred said, pointing his wand to the parchment.

The parchment began to reveal itself, as if it had just woken up.

The words and markings came clearly into sight.

"Messrs. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs are proud to present the Marauders map!" Angelina read out of breath.

"It's a map!" I shouted.

"No!" Lee said sarcastically, causing my cheeks to blush.

"Well, open it!" Alicia insisted.

The twins unfolded the parchment to reveal a huge map, and after looking at it for a moment, we realized it was a map of Hogwarts. Names were scattered on the map, but they were moving around like little bugs.

"Is this real? Is that Snape right now?" I asked, pointing to a dot that was labeled 'Severus Snape.'

"This, m'ladies, is a map of everybody in Hogwarts." George started.

"What they are doing." Fred continued.

"Every second."

"Of every day." They finished together.

"So how did you find out what the phrase was?" Angelina asked.

"Well, we experimented with it... saying different things." Fred said.

"It would flicker to life here and there." Lee joined in. "It flickered the most when I said, 'I am up to no good.'"

"So we just played with that phrase, until Fred got it right." George finished.

"This little beauty is going to teach us more than all the teachers in this school." Fred said.

"That's positively brilliant!" I exclaimed.

"What do you suppose Miles Bletchley is doing sneaking around at this hour?" Alicia asked, pointing to Mile's name.

"Isn't that where the Hufflepuff common room is?" Angelina pondered.

"What a git." George said.

"You don't even know what he's doing." I pointed out.

"He's still a git." Fred claimed.

"Benefit of the doubt, boys." I said, tousling their messy red hair.

The Marauders Map proved to be quite a useful addition to our group. It's as though the map understood us, especially Fred and George. The map spoke to them. It somehow knew they were trouble-makers. George said that sometimes the map spoke to them. Little side notes would appear with humorous comments, making fun of people. Fred said that one time while they had the map open they were talking about what a creep Professor Snape was, and suddenly the map read, 'Professor Snape is a greasy, long-nosed ball of slime.'

George said that the map often brought to their attention when somebody was by themselves and easily prank-able.

"Happy Christmas!" I shouted in the sleeping Angelina's ear, causing her to jump.

"Golly! You could have been less boisterous."

I grinned at her.

"Happy Christmas to you, too!" She said, giggling.

Alicia had decided to go home for the Holidays. She left several days ago, as did Lee. Fred and George, despite their mother's pleas, wanted to stay at the castle for the Holidays with us. My parents begged me to come home, but I had become attached at the hip with my new friends. We wanted to spend Christmas Day together and experience our first Hogwarts Christmas feast!

"Haaaaaaaaapy Christmas!" The twins attacked on us upon our entrance to the common room.

For the past week the Gryffindor Common room has been a sight to see. Bells hung on the stairs, Christmas flowers decorated the whole room, and mistletoe magically grew in the archway of the common room every time a couple walked underneath. The fireplace was lit, and a large Christmas tree stood tall and proud in a corner. Underneath the Christmas tree were presents. At least fifty presents were stacked all around the tree for the Gryffindor students who remained at Hogwarts.

"Let's open gifts!" Fred said excitedly, running to the tree and grabbing a box with his name on it.

As I searched for a box with my name on it, Fred and George opened theirs.

They each pulled out olive green hand-knitted sweaters. Fred's had an 'F' on it, and George's had a 'G'.

Angelina and I had to turn around and cover our mouths with our hands so they wouldn't see us snickering.

"Eugh! I'm not wearing this." Fred said, holding the sweater with two fingers.

"Why not?" I asked, smirking.

"It's green!" George exclaimed. "I have red hair!"

"We are not leprechauns." Fred grumbled.

"Your mum put so much effort into making you warm sweaters, the least you can do is wear them." Angelina pointed out.

The twins glared at her, knowing she was right.

"Open our gifts!" Fred said to us, handing each of us large orange boxes.

I removed the lid from the box to find a slightly smaller box inside. I raised on eyebrow at the twins and pulled out the second box. Inside the second box was yet another box. After opening the third box to find yet ANOTHER empty box I threw them down and said, "Is there even anything in here?"

"Nope." They said, grinning.

"There's nothing in the box." George said.

I glared at them, chucking the box at the twins.

"Hey now. There's nothing in the BOX. Check out the lid." Fred said, attempting to put a bow on George's back without him noticing.

I grabbed the lid and flipped it over. Taped underneath the lid was a red hat and red gloves to match.

Angelina checked under the lid of her box to find a gold hat and matching gloves.

We burst into laughter and thanked the twins.

"That's quite clever!" I said to them. "Now open ours!"

Angelina and I went together to buy the twins a magical noisemaker. The noisemaker was charmed to loudly make crude noises and rude sayings, but when a person heard it, the noise appeared to come in the opposite direction of the noisemaker. So the the culprit wasn't suspected.

"Absolutely brilliant!" The twins said together, giving us each a high five.

A loud belching sound came from the other side of the room. Several people snapped their heads up, looking around disgusted. The twins smiled at us.

"Now don't go too wild with that." I said.

"We will." They replied.

I smiled, shaking my head at them.

"Shall we go get some breakfast?" Angelina chimed in.

"Let's shall." Fred replied.

The breakfast consisted of Cinnamon buns, pancakes, sausages, bacon, eggs, toast, and pumpkin juice. The atmosphere of the great hall was very merry. Even the professors were laughing. Except Professor Snape, of course. I swore I saw him smile once, though. The ceiling was snowing and Christmas tunes could be heard. A Christmas tree as tall as a two story house dawned the front of the room. Hagrid, who had bits and pieces of pine in his beard from hauling the massive tree, was already tipsy from drinking too much firewhisky. The four of us stuffed ourselves to our hearts content, knowing we'd be regretting it.

"I'm so full." I groaned, pushing my plate away from me.

Across from me, the twins weren't eating for once. Instead, they were dumping pepper in someone's pumpkin juice when they weren't looking.

"Oi! You two finished?" I asked them.

"Watch this." Fred said, winking.

George reached into his pocket and a few seconds later a large flatulence noise came from where the Slytherin table was.

"Too many eggs there, Miles?" Fred shouted across the hall.

The hall burst into laughter, including some of the professors. Hagrid laughed loud and hearty while pounding his fist on the table causing several drinks to spill. Dumbledore peered over his half-moon spectacles at the twins with a knowing look and winked.

Miles face turned deep red and he sputtered, "It.. it wasn't me! I swear it!"

Angelina and I were laughing so hard tears began to roll down our cheeks.

"I will never regret buying them that noisemaker." Angelina said.

"Nope." I agreed.

"Mail's here!" A tiny blonde boy from the Ravenclaw table shouted.

Just then, dozens of owls flew into the great hall with parcels tied to their legs searching for the student whom their envelop was for.

A rather small black and white spotted owl landed beside me and looked at me expectantly with round, yellow eyes. A letter addressed to me was tied around it's ankle.

"Who's owl is that?" Angelina asked.

"I dunno, I've never seen it before." I said untying the letter.

I expected the owl to fly away after I got the letter off, but it remained perched on the table, watching me.

"Dearest Bethany,

Happy Christmas my dear! Your father and I miss you so much. I was rather hoping to see you this Holiday, but I am sure Hogwarts is a lovely place to be during the season. Say hello to Angelina for us, and your new friends as well! I look forward to meeting them.

I'm sure you are wondering where this beautiful owl came from. Happy Christmas darling! Your father and I picked out this owl for you with help from Angelina's mum. His name is Dragon. He's still quite young, but the breeder said he is most efficient! He loves being around people. He always wanted to be within sight of your father and I! Quite affectionate as well. (However, as he is still so young, when he gets overexcited he may nip).

Lastly, your father and I have big news... We are having a baby! I very much wanted to tell you in person, but I couldn't wait! You will have a little brother or sister come this September! We are so excited, your father already cleared out the guest room. (He's so wonderful!)

Please write back as soon as you can.

Much love, mum and dad."

My head was buzzing! The excitement from my new pet, and then in the same letter she said I would have a baby sibling! I stared with wide eyes at the letter for a few more moments. The excitement bubbled up inside me until I couldn't take it anymore.

"GUESS WHAT?" I practically screamed.

"What?" The twins asked, astonished.

"My mum is having a baby!"

"Welcome to the world of siblings." Fred said.

"You will never be lonely." George said.

"That's wonderful news!" Angelina said, hugging me.

I looked down at my new owl. I reached out to stroke his head, and he hooted affectionately. I fell in love with Dragon right away.

"Is that your owl?" Angelina asked.

"Yeah. His name is Dragon." I said proudly.

"Wicked name." The twins said.

I smiled even wider. Nothing could stop the happiness that was welling inside of me.


	6. Chapter 6

**Heyyyyy! Here's chapter 6, folks! Enjoy it, next chapter will be up soon! They're nearly into their second year... soon enough we'll be able to get to the fun stuff! :P**

**~JS~**

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><p>"No, bad Dragon!" I snapped at my little black and white speckled owl.<p>

Dragon paid no attention to this as he continued to peck at my toast.

"Oh, fine. You take it then." I said, giving him the toast.

He hooted happily and flew away, leaving a letter on my plate as replacement.

It was a beautiful Spring morning, nearing the end of my first year at Hogwarts. I nearly got butterflies every time I remembered I had to leave my new friends (except for Angelina) in less than two months. I would miss them all so, so much. But thanks to Dragon, I can mail them all every week. My parents had been writing to me every day with updates on how planning for the new baby was coming along. Last week my mum informed me that I would soon have a brother!

"Do you boys have bottomless pits as stomachs?" Angelina asked the twins, who were shoveling food into their mouths.

"Yes." Fred replied simply.

Lee Jordan decided to flaunt this by taking all that was left on his plate and shoveling it into his mouth. He smiled at Angelina with food between his teeth. The twins cracked up.

"Lovely." I said amused, glancing up from my letter.

"How are things going with the baby?" Alicia asked politely, ignoring Lee's behavior.

"Quite well, I think. From what my dad says, my mum has been very emotional lately."

"I'm never having kids." Fred chimed in.

"Why is that?" I asked.

"Too much of a hassle. I'm never getting married, either. I am going to be very, very rich and keep all of my money for myself!"

I laughed and shook my head.

"He's sharing it with me, of course." George added.

"Of course." Fred nodded.

"I'm going to have many wives. Women will flock my way!" Lee added in.

We all laughed at this.

"Not if you shovel food into your mouth like that on your dates!" I pointed out, smiling at the thought.

"Blimey, we need to get to class!" Angelina suddenly spurted, glancing at the large clock in the Great Hall.

"Potions with the Slytherins. My favorite." I said sarcastically.

The lot of us grabbed our things and made our way to the dungeon for Potions.

"Hey, Weasleys!" A voice came from behind us as we walked through the hallway.

The twins turned around to find Miles Bletchley coming up behind us.

"I bet your mudblood friend there could give your dad some new muggle toys to play with!" He smirked, nodding at me. "Of course, scum like you would hang out with a lowlife like her. I wouldn't be caught dead with some muggle-born."

"You'll pay for that, Bletchley!" Fred yelled, lunging at him.

Fred punched him square in the face, causing him to fall over backwards. George promptly walked up to him, and stepped on his ribcage. A very audible "CRRRRACK" could be heard.

"That had to hurt!" Lee said, purposefully spitting on his face.

"BOYS! Boys! Stop that, please!" I screeched, stepping in the middle of them. "I dunno what a mudblood is, but whatever it means, I don't care! He's not worth it!"

Angelina and Alicia stood there in shock with their hands covering their mouths.

"Bethany, mudblood means filthy blood. Somebody who is muggle born." Alicia said very quietly.

My heart dropped. My throat began to clench up and tears threatened to fall. Filthy blood? Muggle born? What does that have to do with anything? Who cares what your parents are? I looked around at the concerned faces of my best friends... I didn't want my friends to think I was weak...

"So what?" I suddenly said. "I've got more friends than him anyway. Who cares if my parents are muggles? They are the best parents I could ask for."

"That bloody git deserved-" Fred started-

"What is going on here?" a deep voice interrupted the scene.

We looked at Professor Snape, and then looked down at Miles who was just barely conscious and groaning in pain.

"He did it!" George yelled, pointing at a Hogwarts ghost that just so happened to be floating by. The ghost gave him a very offended glance and turned away.

"Likely." Snape retorted. "10 points from Gryffindor... each!"

"But we didn't even do anything!" Alicia squealed referring to herself and Angelina.

"You were found at the scene with the culprits. I don't care if you weren't involved. Make it 15 points each! Unfortunately I do not have the pleasure of controlling your expulsion. You will go to Professor McGonagall straight away. I will escort Miles to Madam Pompfrey." Snape gave us one last withering glare before helping a limping Miles down the corridor.

"Worth it." Lee said.

Despite what just happened, I couldn't suppress a giggle at that comment.

As fired up as I was...

I composed myself and marched up to the twins.

"I cannot believe you guys! Over some silly insult! And now we might get expelled!"

"It's not just some silly insult, it's as bad as the most foul swear word! The git had the nerves to say... that word... to you, and then insult our father!" Fred roared, George fuming by his side.

"His opinion means nothing... But are you the biggest pranksters in our year or not?" I replied, hoping we could drop the topic of the insult. I told them to ignore it, but truthfully it did hurt very much once I knew that it meant. Tears still lingered in my eyes until I rubbed them away.

The twins gave me a guilty smirk before George said, "I like the way you think, Thorne."

"Yeah, if we aren't expelled first." Fred said.

Angelina came up to me and put an arm around my shoulders. She looked at me, knowing I was still feeling a bit hurt inside. She winked and bumped me with her hip. I bumped her back, feeling the rest of my hurt vanish. I had my friends, and that's all that mattered.

"I think we should go to Professor McGonagall's office." Alicia said timidly, on the verge of tears.

"I'd have to agree." Lee said.

The six of us slowly moped our way to McGonagall's office, stalling as much as we could. My heart was pounding. I felt lightheaded and queezy. I'd never been in this much trouble before! What would my family have to say if I got expelled my first year at school! They would blame it on my new friends... they would say they are a bad influence. Fear washed over me at the thought of being banned from ever seeing the twins, Lee, and Alicia ever again. My heart hammered in my chest and I began to panic.

"Don't look so afraid, Beth. It'll all be okay." Fred said, giving my hand a squeeze. "I don't think McGonagall would expel us in our first year... especially so close to the end of semester."

"Yeah, you're right." I said. Even though I was still panicking inside.

Lee knocked on the door to her office and glanced back at us, a nervous look on his face.

"Come in." Professor McGonagall said.

The six of us crowded in the entryway of her office, not wanting to go in any further.

"It is my understanding that you physically attacked Miles Bletchley this morning. I am very disappointed in you! I cannot believe that a group from my house would get involved in such behavior." McGonagall said very sternly. The low tone of her voice was much more intimidating than if she was yelling.

I looked at the twins, who were looking at the floor. Alicia had silent tears running down her face .

"It is in my better judgment to give you all detention every Friday evening until the end of this semester."

The butterflies in my tummy flitted away, and they were replaced with a hopeful feeling.

"So... you aren't going to expel us?" I asked timidly.

"Of course not. Although the consequences will be drastically worse if something similar ever happens again!" McGonagall said, looking at the twins.

"Miles called Bethany a mudblood!" George suddenly spewed.

McGonagall looked at him for a long time. Although she still looked very stern, I swore I saw a hint of understanding in her eyes.

"That is a very harsh word he used, but Professor Snape is the head of Slytherin. I cannot control the punishment Miles will receive." McGonagall said.

We nodded and turned to leave her office.

"Your detentions will be with Professor Snape every Friday. I will inform him of this and he will be expecting you all to be there starting this week." Professor McGonagall said with a parting nod.

The twins groaned and trudged through the door.

"Blimey, couldn't she have given us a nicer professor to do detentions for?" Angelina sulked.

"At least we weren't expelled..." Alicia said, somewhat grateful.

The twins and Lee grumbled.


	7. Chapter 7

**Heyo! This chapter is considerably longer than the others, and I think you'll like it! This ends their first year at Hogwarts! woohoo! So please, please review! I would love to know how I am doing so far :D**

**~JS~**

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><p>Serving detention with Snape was not as bad as it could be. Having my friends in detention with me made all the difference. Most of the time Snape had us writing lines, or helping him grade potions. In complete silence, of course. While the lot of us were writing lines, I liked to imagine what was going through my friends' heads at that moment. The twins, of course, were most likely plotting some massive prank, or imagining ways to get revenge on Miles. Every now and then George would slip a folded note to Fred and wink, or vise-versa. Lee almost always wore a little smirk on his face. Once he told us that he imagined Snape bald every time he yelled at us, much to my entertainment. Angelina was usually drawing on her parchment instead of doing lines with a spacey look on her face. If she wasn't doodling, she was braiding a piece of her hair and staring with a bored expression. Alicia, on the other hand, always had a look of worry on her face when in detentions with Snape, and even when we weren't in detention. Something about the way Alicia has been acting lately wasn't settling well with me. I want to ask Angelina if she's noticed, but I don't want to offend her or concern her over something that might just be in my head.<p>

It was a warm Saturday evening in late spring that the twins and I were huddled around a table in the Gryffindor common room.

"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good." I said, pointing my wand at the Marauder's map.

The map revealed itself and we unfolded it, searching for one person in particular.

Every time we got the map out to look at it Fred, George, and I began noticing Miles Bletchley lurking about the Hufflepuff corridors more often than not. Curiosity was getting the best of us.

"What in Merlin's name is he doing?" George asked.

"I'd say it's about time to go intervene." I said, standing up, brushing my sweaty palms on my jeans.

"Intervene with what?" Angelina asked, entering our little circle .

"We want to know why Mile's is constantly creeping in front of the Hufflepuff common room!" Fred bursted out.

"It's past curfew, though... maybe you should go tomorrow?" Angelina suggested.

Fred and George stared at her.

"I don't think we care." I stated.

"I don't think that's a good idea..." Angelina said nervously, "We're already in detention with Snape every week."

"So what do we have to lose?" George said.

"Mischief managed." Fred pointed at the map, ending the conversation.

The map turned itself back into a blank piece of parchment and he put it in his pocket.

"Are you gonna come with us?" I asked, looking at Angelina.

Angelina looked at the three of us hesitantly, gnawing on the inside of her cheek.

"I guess so..."

"Good!" I said, looping my arm through hers. "Since when did you become such a party pooper?"

"I just don't have a very good feeling about this."

"We're with Fred and George. I'm not worried." I said confidently.

The twins gave me boyish grins, and we set off for the Hufflepuff corridor.

"Keep it down!" George whispered. Fred belched, causing me to burst into a fit of giggles.

The farther we walked away from the Gryffindor common room and my cozy bed, the more jittery I began to feel. It was cold and dark. Every footstep we took echoed around us. Even the men and women in the portraits on the walls who were usually moving around were sleeping. As we neared the staircase, I silently prayed that they wouldn't decide to move us. Sometimes when students walk on the staircases they decided to relocate you so that you end in a completely different spot than you mean to be. Usually it was quite comical, but tonight was not the night.

Thankfully, the stairs remained still.

"This way should take us there." Fred whispered. Thanks to the map, the twins knew their way around the school like the back of their palms.

As we rounded the corner we could make out Mile's having a hushed conversation with a girl.

We hid ourselves around the corner, peeking our heads out. Whoever Mile's was talking to was considerably older. She was a good few inches taller than him, and had long, dark hair. Both of them were in their sleepwear, and they appeared to be very close.

We all craned our necks to try to make out what they were saying.

"Please..." Miles whispered, in a desperate tone.

"Never. I went back once before, but they refused to even look at me." The girl responded.

"They miss you... we miss you." Miles pleaded. "It's not the same!"

"You've got to be joking, I don't even cross their minds anymore. You're the only one I stay in touch with."

"Maybe if you just came back and tried talking to them?"

"Give up on it, little brother! It's not going to happen. You know as well as I that it's not a possibility."

"I don't care if you're in Hufflepuff!" Miles said.

"I know." She pulled him in for a hug. "But they do."

"I'll talk to them for you-"

"I said no. Don't even consider it."

"I don't want to go home this summer back to that... house. Please..." Miles begged.

"Trent already agreed to let me stay with him this summer."

"Is he your boyfriend?" Miles asked.

"I think so. I want to stay with him, Miles. I promise I'll write to you, though." The girl said. "I think you better go. It's late and I thought I heard something..."

"Can I come visit tomorrow night?" He begged.

"Of course."

The girl entered the Hufflepuff common room, leaving Miles alone in the dark hallway.

I slowly turned my head towards Angelina and the twins. I looked at Fred and George's big blue eyes, wide with shock.

"Mile's has a sister...?" Angelina hushed.

"Apparently so." Fred said.

"He seemed so normal just now." I said curiously. "He wasn't acting like a right git."

"I feel a bit... bad for him." Angelina sympathized.

"I wouldn't go quite that far." Fred said. "How old do you suppose she is?"

"Sixteen, I'd say." George responded.

"I wonder if we should go talk to him..." I started.

"That, my friend, is a terrible idea." George said.

"Can you imagine how much more he'd hate you if he knew you've been eavesdropping? Fred said.

"I suppose."

Fred grabbed my wrist and pulled me around the corner, out of sight from Miles.

"Should we be heading back now?" Angelina asked.

"Maybe we should just stay and see what he does." I suggested.

"I agree." George said.

The four of us peered our heads around the cold, stone wall again, just far enough to be able to make out Miles silhouette.

Miles was sitting on the ground, his head buried into his knees.

I peered up at my friends' faces. By the looks on their faces they heard what I heard. Miles was sobbing right there in front of the Hufflepuff common room. His shoulders were shaking as he ran a hand through his hair.

"I think we should go..." Angelina said.

"I suppose so." I agreed. The twins nodded.

As I turned around, I mistakenly ran into the back of George.

"Sorry." I said out loud.

Fred and Angelina looked at me with wide eyes. Then I realized, I had said that a bit too loud.

"Who's there?" Miles shouted out, defiantly.

"Quick, come this way!" George said, tugging on my arm.

"No, wait." I said.

"Let's go!" Fred said, pulling me by the other arm.

"Who are you?" Mile's voice echoed from behind us. The four of us ran as silently as we could back to the Gryffindor common room.

The twins made it back first thanks to their legs being much longer.

"Lizping fangs." I hurriedly whisper-shouted to the portrait of the fat lady.

The Fat Lady gave me a harsh look, probably for being out past curfew, and stuffed her nose in the air.

"C'mon, let us in!" I said.

"Beth, the password changed. Treacle tart." Angelina said.

The Fat Lady grudgingly swung the portrait open, allowing us into the Gryffindor common room.

"Merlin." I sighed, plopping my tired body into a squashy couch.

"I think I will go to bed." Angelina yawned and slowly trudged up the stairs to the girls rooms.

"'Night." I said to my best friend.

The twins threw themselves down onto the couch on either sides of me.

"Well, we found out one interesting bit of information this evening." Fred stated.

"I wonder how many others know?" I pondered. I ran a hand through my curly mob of blonde hair and closed my eyes. "Am I tired or what."

"Well, we did just run halfway through the castle." George said.

A comfortable silence fell over us. The warm fire was crackling and spitting in front of the couch, creating a very warm atmosphere. The comfort of the couch didn't help me to have the energy to get up, either. I looked up at George, who's eyes were halfway closed and his head was beginning to fall forward. I giggled at this, as he looked rather silly. I turned my head to look at Fred, to find he was already asleep. He had a very peaceful look on his face and a slight smirk played at he edges of his lips. I felt my eyelids beginning to shut, and my mind was beginning to drift...

THUD.

"WHAT?" I whipped my head up suddenly, my heart pounding.

Next to me, the twins had stood up, their hair disheveled. Fred tripped over his feet and fell back onto the couch.

Beside us, Lee and Angelina were hunched over from laughter. Lee put his hand on Angelina's shoulder for support.

"I * gasp * cannot wait to see *gasp * how this picture *gasp * turns out." Lee said, still laughing.

In my groggy and alarmed state, I just realized I was still in the common room on the couch with the twins. I reached up to touch my hair, which I'm sure looked more like an owls nest then hair.

"I think we fell asleep on the couch, mate." George yawned and said to Fred.

"Can you blame us? Bethany's hair makes a great pillow." Fred said.

I halfheartedly slapped him with a couch pillow and laughed.

The events of last nights adventures were temporarily forgotten, thanks to Angelina and Lee who were just getting over their fit of hysteria.

"What are you two chickens laughing about?" I asked, rubbing the sleep from my eyes.

Angelina giggled and said, "Lee and I took a picture of you three sleeping, you should see yourselves! And then I dropped my textbook on the floor and you jumped about a mile!"

"Let me see the picture!" I said, climbing over Fred to grab the camera.

In the picture, George's head was tilted back completely and his mouth was gaping open. His chest was slowly moving up and down and you could tell he was snoring. I burst into laughter and pointed at George, unable to speak.

"What?" He said. "Look at yourself!"

My head was leaning on Fred's shoulder and there was a tiny wet drool spot on Fred's shirt right below my mouth.

"Ewwww!" Fred exclaimed, wiping at his shoulder. George and Lee began laughing so hard Lee snorted.

Fred had his head resting on top of mine and his mouth was moving.

"Well at least I'm not talking in my sleep!" I said to Fred.

"Drooler."

"Sleep talker."

"Drooler."

"Hey this is the first moving picture I've ever been in!" I exclaimed, forgetting to continue our little argument. "Where did you get that camera, Lee?"

"My mum gave it to me over the Holidays, I just haven't used it yet. Waiting for the perfect moment! I'll give each of you a copy for safekeeping." Lee said and winked

I rolled my eyes at him, before standing up.

"Well, Lee and I are going to go get breakfast before it's all gone. You guys coming?" Angelina said.

"Yeah, let me change first." I said.

After I had changed into some comfortable Sunday clothes and attempted to tame my wildly curly hair, I ran down the common room to wait for my red-head best friends. Once they met up with me, the three of us made our way to the Great Hall for our last Sunday morning together before returning back to our homes for the Summer.

"Angelina, where's Alicia?" I asked at breakfast.

Angelina looked at me with worry in her dark brown eyes.

"Alicia... Alicia has been a little cold lately." She said, softly.

"What? Why?" I asked.

"I dunno, when I tried to ask her what was wrong she just glared at me and stormed off."

"Maybe she's begun her-"

"Don't be disgusting, Lee!" I cried, knowing what he was about to say.

"I was only going to say exams."

The twins snickered, but immediately stopped after seeing our angry glares.

"I believe something is going on with her family." Angelina said, ignoring the boys.

"Was she in the dormitory with you last night?" I asked.

"No, once I got there her bed was empty."

"Hm." I said, looking down and playing with the food on my plate. Ever since we nearly got expelled for beating up Miles, Alicia has hardly spoken a word to us. Angelina exchanged a small conversation with her, and I hadn't spoken to her at all. I glanced down the table to look for her, and saw her sitting alone at the very end of the table near the entrance of the Great Hall.

"Angelina, look." I said, nodding towards Alicia.

"Let's shout down to her and tell her to sit with us. HEY ALICI-" I quickly shoved my hand over Lee's mouth before he could shout anymore.

"Blimey, do you know anything about girls?" Angelina asked.

"I should go down there and talk to her. Not have you screaming at her." I said, pointedly staring at Lee.

I walked over to Alicia and sat down next to her.

"Hey, Alicia. Are you okay?" I asked softly, brushing a piece of hair out of my face.

"I'm fine." She said shortly.

"We miss you, you know. Why don't you come sit with us?"

Alicia turned to stare at me.

"Why?" She asked.

"Like I said, we miss you. We're uneven without you, three boys and only two girls!" I said, smiling.

Alicia didn't smile and looked down at her lap where she as fiddling with her thumbs.

"I don't think so. Thanks, though."

"But, Alicia-"

"Talk to you later, Beth." She said, and walked out of the great hall.

"What happened down there?" George asked once I returned to my seat.

"She doesn't want to sit with us. She didn't really say much else..." I trailed off.

"That's rude." Lee said.

"I don't think she's being rude, I think something is really upsetting her and she's too embarrassed to tell us." Angelina said, defending our friend.

"We spent our entire first year at Hogwarts getting to know her, why wouldn't she trust us? I thought we were her closest friends." I said, a bit hurt.

"Maybe she thinks we're a bad influence." Fred said, nudging his twin.

"Maybe, but I just don't think that's it." I said.

My friends and I finished our breakfasts and decided to go outside and spend our last Sunday together pranking loners and enjoying the sunshine. Everything about this day was perfect, except for Alicia not spending it with us. The grass was freshly cut, and the sun shone bright in the sky. There was a lovely summer breeze blowing and nothing could beat the feeling of being free with your best friends. No more homework, no more exams, only sunshine and beautiful, blue skies.

I spotted Miles walking past us with a bunch of his Slytherin friends. Miles, however, was carrying a broom.

"My mum sent it to me in the mail the other week. A comet 260, the best one yet! I'm trying out for the Slytherin Quidditch team next year. I need to start practicing right away. Dad says I'm a natural." I could hear Miles boasting to his friends.

Fred scoffed. "Miles, a natural. My arse."

"Language, Freddy." I said, playfully slapping his arm.

"Well, Miles isn't the only one trying out for the Quidditch team next year." George mumbled.

I stopped walking.

"Really? You guys are gonna try out?" I asked, surprised. I stopped walking and looked up at the twins.

"Yep. We're going to be beaters next year." Fred said grinning, looping his elbow through his twin's.

"You sound so sure!" Angelina said.

"Because we are." George said and winked.

"Are you any good at flying?" I asked as the group of us started walking again.

"Are we any good, she asks." George scoffed.

"Just you wait, young'n." Fred said.

"Young'n?" I asked, giggling.

"Yes. We turned twelve in April, you are still only eleven. You are a young'n." Fred explained.

"I turn twelve on June 17th!" That's only a few weeks away."

"And I turned twelve back in October right after school started. That makes me older than all of you!" Angelina said.

My friends continued their little friendly argument until we reached the edge of the black lake, where we sat on the edge dipping our feet in and talking and laughing until the sun began to set. Realizing it was nearly curfew, we decided to head back into the castle.

"Well, tomorrow we board the train to go home." Angelina sighed.

"Indeed. I plan to have a very exciting summer." Lee chimed in.

"All of you must write to me every day!" I said, looking at the twins and Lee.

"I will." Angelina said.

Angelina, we're neighbors!" I said, cracking up. "I was talking to those dunderheads."

"I can't guarantee we'll write every day..." George started.'

"But we'll try to aim for every week!" Fred finished.

"My family is traveling to Paris this summer." Lee said excitedly. "I'll send you pictures that I took from my camera. Oh! And here you go, I meant to give you these."

Lee pulled out three pictures and handed one to Fred, George, and I. It was the picture Lee had taken of us sleeping on the couch, in unflattering poses.

"Hah! Good times, Georgie, good times." Fred said smirking.

I laughed and clutched the picture. It was a fun memory, a reminder of my first year at Hogwarts and my best friends.

"I should probably go finish packing." I said, remembering that I had some last minute packing to do. "Plus, Dragon will want to get out and stretch his wings tonight before the trip tomorrow. Goodnight boys!"

"'Night!"

Angelina followed me up to the room where we found Alicia sitting on her bed, her trunk was sitting next to her all packed and ready to go.

"Oh. I wasn't expecting you guys back until later." She said.

"I'm sorry, should we leave and come back?" I said defensively.

She looked up at me, obviously offended.

"No. I'll see you guys next year. Have a good summer." Alicia said quickly. She grabbed her things and bustled out of the room.

"You have a good summer, too!" Angelina shouted after her. "You didn't need to be so rude, Beth..."

"I don't see why she has to be so mean if we've done nothing wrong. We were nice to her all year, the least she could do is tell us if she's mad at us." I said while turning around to pack the rest of my toiletries.

Dragon began hooting in his cage and nipping at the bars.

"All right, all right. Get out and stretch, but you need to be back tomorrow morning, okay boy? We need to leave bright and early." I said softly, opening his cage. He affectionately nudged my shoulder before soaring off into the moonlight.

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><p><em>All right, folks! That sums up this chapter, don't forget, please review! Do it for Fred! And thanks for reading!<em>


	8. Chapter 8

_**Hello there! Here is chapter 8 of my story... It's beginning to pick up! They just began their second year, which I don't plan to drag out. So, please enjoy! And pretty please review!**_

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><p>"BETHANY THORNE!"<p>

I whipped my head around to see who was calling my name. Looking through all the busy people in platform 9 ¾ I saw two gingers with identical grins waving at me. I squeezed my way through the crowd to get to my friends.

"Fred! George!" I said and hugged them both tightly. Maybe it was just me, but I swore they grew at least four inches over the summer.

"What, no hug for me?" A deeper voice said.

"Lee!" I ran and hugged my other friend. "I like your hair!"

Despite Lee's voice getting deeper, he decided to dreadlock his hair. It suited him very well.

"Merlin I've missed you guys." I sighed, smiling up at the familiar faces in front of me. Still the same freckled, quirky faces I missed all summer. And Lee looked precisely the same except for his new hairdo.

"Bethany, don't hog our friends to yourself!" Angelina ran up and playfully bumped my hip.

She grabbed the three boys and pulled them into a tight hug.

"I want to go finish saying good-bye to my parents, meet you on the train?" I said, smiling at the group in front of me.

I wormed my way back to where my parents stood with my luggage and Dragon. My mum's belly was now huge, as the baby only had a few more weeks. I spent a lot of my time over the summer helping to paint and decorate the babies room. My mum needed help around the house doing chores, and when my dad was at work I stuck around to help her.

Angelina had taken to practicing her flying over the summer. Late at night when everyone had gone to bed, we snuck out to a nearby cornfield with our brooms to practice. I was flying cleansweep. An older model of broom, but still swift. Angelina had a Comet, which was a slightly newer model and just a little bit faster than mine. We would practice our flying late into the warm summer nights, sometimes until we could see the sun beginning to peak in the horizon. Close to the cornfield was a small pond that we sometimes cooled off in if we got tired of flying.

The boys convinced us to try out for the Gryffindor Quidditch team with them this year. Angelina and I decided to try out to be chasers together. It soon became clear that Angelina was a much better flyer than I, seeing as she rarely lost her balance. She certainly had the passion for the sport.

"Bethany, dear, you'll write to us every week?" My mum asked me as we were saying our farewells.

"Of course. I want to be informed of everything with the baby!" I exclaimed, placing my hand on her stomach.

"I'll see you soon, baby brother." I whispered, patting her tummy.

"Study hard, sweetheart." My father said.

"I don't need to study, I'm just naturally smart." I boasted, tossing my hair over my shoulder.

"If you're anything like me, a little studying won't hurt." My dad chuckled, bringing me in for a hug. "Be safe, we'll write to you as often as we can! Every day if you want. You'll be coming home for Christmas this year?"

"Yes!" I cried. "I have to meet the baby."

"I love you very much, darling," My mum said.

"I love you too."

The Hogwarts express gave a warning howl that it would be leaving soon. Steam began to rise from the exhaust pipes, and several students were sticking their heads out the window, waving excitedly at their loved ones.

I grabbed my luggage and ran towards the train, waving to my parents behind me.

I boarded the giant train and a wave of happiness washed over me. Stepping on the train felt almost as magical as stepping into the Great Hall of Hogwarts. Familiar faces surrounded me and students chatted excitedly amongst themselves, each one eager to catch up with their old friends. All summer I couldn't wait to return. Spending the summer with Angelina and my mum was great, but I missed the twins and Lee terribly. The twins wrote every week, mostly, and Lee wrote a few times from Paris, each time sending a photo with his postcard. One was a photo of him smiling and waving in front of the Eiffel Tower. Another photo had Lee and his parents sitting in a booth at a French cafe smiling and raising their glasses to the camera.

I walked through the cramped corridor of the train looking for the compartment my friends were in. I walked by a compartment that accompanied Alicia and a few other girls I'd never seen before. I stopped to wave at Alicia, hoping the awkwardness of last year would be done.

To my surprise, Alicia offered me a small smile. My heart expanded with the thought that perhaps Alicia was ready to be friends again.

After a minute or two of walking through the train I found my friends in one of the very last compartments. I pressed my face against the sliding glass door of the compartment, squishing my nose and making a funny face. The twins burst into uncontrollable laughter at my antic, while Angelina just rolled her eyes and sighed.

"Will you just get your butt in here!" She shouted, giggling a little.

I slid the door open and carried my heavy luggage in. I lifted up my huge suitcase and tried to put it on the luggage rack above the windows. Despite standing on my tiptoes, I still couldn't reach the luggage rack. I turned around and blew a piece of hair out of my face.

"Need some help?" Fred asked, raising one eyebrow and smiling.

"That would be nice." I said.

With no problem, Fred lifted my suitcase and put it on the luggage rack.

"Did everybody grow this summer except for me?" I asked, admiring Fred's height.

"Shorty." George said, ruffling my blonde curls.

I glared at him with my honey colored eyes and sat down in between Angelina and Lee.

Suddenly someone knocked on our door. We all looked up alarmed, wondering who would want to sit with a bunch of goofy second years. A small, timid girl with long brown hair and pale skin was standing at the door with luggage half her size and a cage with some sort of animal in it.

"Hello, my name is Katie Bell." She said. "I don't really know anyone and I wondering if maybe I could sit with you guys?" The last part of her sentence came out more like, "?"

"Er, of course." I said, holding open the door for her.

Lee helped her put her luggage on the rack and she sat down next to the twins, opposite from me.

"What do you have there?" George asked, glancing at the cage.

"This is my cat, Timber." She said. She opened up the cage and pulled out a tiny, fluffy gray cat with bright blue eyes. The cat clung to her lap and leered at all of us through slanted eyes.

"I don't think your cat likes us very much." I said, amused.

"No, she's just shy. Usually she's very friendly." Katie said, petting Timber behind the ears.

"So are you a first year?" Fred asked.

"Yes, how about you guys? And I don't think I caught your names..?"

"We're all second years... Gryffindor. And my name is Lee. Lee Jordan." Lee chimed in.

"Angelina Johnson, and this is my best friend Bethany Thorne." Angelina introduced us.

"I'm Fred."

"I'm George." The twins said at the exact same time.

I laughed, remembering last year's train ride when they had done the exact same thing to me. Although this time I knew which one was which, and I also knew that they switched their names. Fred introduced himself as George, and George had introduced himself as Fred. I wonder if they had done that to us last year?

Angelina also seemed to pick up on this, because she covered up her mouth and snickered.

"Nice to meet you!" Katie said unaware, happy to be accepted to quickly. "My mum also went to Hogwarts. She was in Gryffindor like you guys. I think that's where I'll be."

"Did your dad go to Hogwarts, too?" I asked.

"My dad is, er... My dad is dead." Katie said, looking down at her lap.

Why did I have to ask that? Leave it to me to make things uncomfortable.

An awkward silence followed, and everyone shifted in their seats.

The train lurched, beginning the long journey to Hogwarts. It began picking up speed and wailed it's loud horn.

"I'm so sorry..." I started.

"It's okay." Katie said. "I was very young, and I have a step-dad now. He didn't go to Hogwarts, though. He's from America."

"Is he a wizard?" I asked, taking an interest in her American family member.

"Oh, yes. The schooling there is different, though. So, do you guys have any pets?" Katie asked, obviously trying to change the subject. Katie probably regrets ever deciding to sit with us, I thought.

"I have an owl named Dragon." I said.

"Ooooh. I wanted an owl, but I fell in love with Timber the second I saw her!" Katie exclaimed, still petting her cat. Timber was now curled up on her lap sound asleep, purring lightly.

"We're too irresponsible for pets." George said simply.

"We would end up burning the thing." Fred said.

"It's true." Angelina agreed. "They would."

Katie and I began laughing.

"Stick with us and you'll never have a dull moment." Lee chimed in.

Katie smiled up at us, her warm brown eyes gleaming with excitement and her grin reaching from ear to ear.

The rest of the journey was spent taking turns telling jokes, but no joke compared to the naughty centaur joke that Lee told. Every time it was Lee's turn to tell a joke, he repeated the same joke until our stomachs ached from laughing so hard and tears gathered at the corners of our eyes.

"FIRS' YEARS. FIRS' YEARS THIS WAY." Was the first thing we heard getting off the train.

"That's Hagrid, he'll take you to the castle on the boats. We'll see you at the sorting ceremony, Katie!" I bid farewell and turned to my friends. "Now where do we go?"

"Just follow the crowd." George said.

"You kids need help?" A snooty voice came from behind us.

"You're the one who needs help getting your head out of your rear end, Percy." Fred mumbled.

"That's no way to speak to a prefect!"

"You're not a prefect yet, Perc. You're only in fourth year." George stated.

"I will be, just you see. Do you need help or not?" Percy asked, irritated.

"Just point us in the right direction, if you don't mind." Angelina said.

"See those carriages over there? That's where you'll be headed. They take anyone from second to seventh year to the castle." Percy responded, avoiding eye contact with his brothers.

"Thank you, Percy." I said.

"Just you wait, I'm going to be a prefect." The twins mocked their brother once he was out of earshot.

"I swear, every year he becomes an even bigger prat." George said.

"He's just ambitious is all. You're right, though. He does act snooty." I admitted.

The five of us climbed onto one of the carriages and it began to take us towards the castle.

Upon entering the giant castle a rush of excitement coursed it's way through me. My heart sped up and I couldn't help the smile that was forming on my lips. My eyes danced with happiness from returning to my favorite place in the world. I grabbed Angelina's hand and gave it a squeeze. She returned my squeeze and smiled at me. Nothing was better than the enchanting air that filled Hogwarts.

The mob of chatty students formed their way into the Great hall and sat at their respected house tables.

The ceiling showed that the sun would begin to set soon, and flickering candles floated throughout the air above us.

At this moment last year we were being led into the school by Professor McGonagall. I recalled the way Miles had introduced himself to us, quite rudely I might add.

I glanced over to Mile's sitting at the Slytherin table. He was talking to a group of his peers, who seemed impressed. No doubt Miles was telling some tall-tale about his summer. I knew, though, that it wasn't nearly as exciting as he made it out to be because of his Hufflepuff sister.

I scanned the Hufflepuff table for his sister, but I didn't see her. Maybe last year had been her final year at Hogwarts.

The tall doors to the Great hall opened suddenly, causing everyone to turn their attention to the nervous first years walking in.

"I can't believe that was us last year." Lee whispered.

"Look at that one girl, she's shaking from head to toe!" Angelina said, pointing at a girl with short black hair.

"There's Katie!" I exclaimed. I waved at her and she gave a nervous wave back. The twins gave her thumbs-up.

"Attention Students!" Dumbledore's merry voice echoed across the Great hall. "Welcome new students to Hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry! And to our old students, welcome back! I don't wish to keep us from our feast much longer, so please, let the sorting ceremony begin!"

"When I call your name, please come up to the stool to be sorted." Professor McGonagall said.

"Katie Bell!" Katie was the first name to be called. She walked up to the stool confidently and sat down.

"GRYFFINDOR!" The hat shouted. Katie's face broke into a big grin, and she skipped over to sit with us.

"I knew you'd be with us!" I said, side-hugging her.

"Looks like our little group is back to six." Fred said, high-fiving Katie.

The rest of the sorting ceremony continued on, and we applauded eighteen nervous new Gryffindors into our house.

That evening was spent with Fred and George showing us all the good quality pranking items they had acquired over the summer. Fred admitted that they had been experimenting with making their own fireworks. They told us the story of how they accidentally caught fire to their little sister Ginny's bedroom, and how their mum was so furious that she made them do chores nonstop the entire week.

"I think we managed to make a firework that doesn't burst into flames, though. We successfully tested it a couple times." Fred said.

Katie Bell was absolutely ecstatic to have found friends so quickly. Her eyes gleamed with happiness and she took a particular fondness to George. Every now and then I caught Alicia watching us from the other side of the common room. I considered asking her to join us, but I figured if she wanted to she would approach us on her own.

"Did you boys get any of the reading done at all?" Angelina asked the twins, who were attempting to float a chocolate frog across the room and drop it on a first year's head.

"Now why would we do that?" George asked.

"Spend a perfectly good summer day reading?" Fred continued. "It's as though she never met us at all, George."

"Homework loads will be piling up this year." I said, snickering. "I just hope Snape doesn't give us any on our first day back."

"Oh, I've heard about professor Snape." Katie said. "One girl said he tested a potion on her last year that went horribly bad."

"That sounds about the sort of thing Snape would do. He loves to assign essays, too." Angelina said.

"I wish I could have class with you guys." Katie said.

"No you don't. The twins have a knack for landing us in detention." I said, glaring at the boys who were grinning sheepishly.

"Perhaps we should call it a night." Angelina said, yawning.

"I agree. After all, quidditch tryouts tomorrow!" Fred said, winking.

* * *

><p><strong><em>Review review review!<em>**

~JS~


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